ACM Research, Inc., a global leader in semiconductor and advanced wafer-level packaging (WLP) process solutions, has dramatically improved semiconductor wafer wet etch uniformity and cleaning performance.

ACM recently announced a major upgrade to its Ultra C wb wet bench cleaning equipment.

This improvement is characterized by a dramatic improvement in wet etching uniformity and cleaning performance through the application of a patent-pending nitrogen bubbling technique.

Conventional phosphoric acid-based batch wet bench processes have suffered from poor etch uniformity and byproduct re-growth issues in high aspect ratio trench and via structures.

ACM Research solved these problems by introducing nitrogen (N₂) bubbling to increase the transfer efficiency of phosphoric acid and to uniformly control the temperature, concentration, and flow rate within the tank.

As a result, the etching uniformity within and between wafers was improved by more than 50%, and the re-growth of residual byproducts within the microstructure was virtually blocked.

“The nitrogen bubbling technique maximizes the core performance of wet etching while maintaining the cost-effectiveness and energy-saving benefits of batch processing,” said David Wang, president and CEO of ACM Research. “The Ultra C wb upgrade is a cutting-edge He emphasized, “It will satisfy both the cleaning speed and quality that are essential in node manufacturing.”

The new Ultra C wb platform offers bench modules optimized for three layers of advanced node processes.

It can be used in various processes such as stacked silicon nitride removal, channel hole polysilicon etch back, and gate line tungsten recess, and is compatible with a wide range of chemicals such as H₄ etchant, TMAH, SC1, and SiGe etching solutions.

ACM's nitrogen bubbling design is protected by independent intellectual property (IP). Its strength lies in the precise control of density while uniformly generating large bubbles, thereby increasing throughput per batch and minimizing process-to-process variability.

This upgraded Ultra C wb equipment has already been verified at major fabs in mainland China and has received repeat purchase orders from numerous customers.

ACM Research plans to deploy additional equipment in advanced semiconductor production sites of global partners by the end of this year.